Now that it’s crystal clear that hosting a wedding at this time is just not possible due to the spread of COVID-19, we’re sharing the experiences of real couples navigating the re-scheduling or cancellation process in an attempt to help others make informed decisions and to spread our support to all during this time.
Shiran Teitelbaum, who postponed her August wedding in Toronto, is sharing how she and her husband, Mike Donaghey, made the final call and decided to say, “I do,” in Las Vegas.
The couple, who are creative directors at ad agencies and run a pink Airbnb in Coachella Valley, talked about postponing their August 8th wedding with their planner, Alana Klein from Swoon Events, in early April. “She was instrumental in navigating all the changes with our vendors,” Shiran says. “Knowing that half the guests would be traveling from Los Angeles to Toronto, we wanted everyone to be comfortable traveling, and August just seemed too soon.”
The new date is May 22nd, 2021—their thinking behind pushing it back a year is that they didn’t want to have to postpone twice, and now they have more time to perfect their planning. However, the two wanted to be officially married, “virus or no virus,” so they planned to go to Las Vegas in three days.
“Initially we felt conflicted because we didn’t want it to take away from our actual wedding,” Shiran says. “But the wedding we’ve been planning this last year with our planner, Alana, is so different from this that it’s still going to be our dream day with those we love.”
While planning to head to Vegas, “we felt like we were doing one of those social challenges where you have to make everything from the items found in your house!” Shiran says. Most of their belongings are in their NYC apartment, so they rummaged in the garage of their Airbnb for things they could use at their wedding. She found a $2 veil from a Halloween costume and fake fuchsia flowers.
In their Vegas hotel room, she put on a kaftan from Rust Belt Threads, and he got dressed in his $11 trousers and shoes from Target. They popped champagne and listened to a friend’s Spotify playlist, made especially for the occasion. Once ready, they were off to meet their Elvis, Eddie Powers, at the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada sign.
He brought his pink Cadillac, and they commemorated the moment. “We didn’t exchange rings or vows, since we wanted to save that for our wedding with family and friends, but Elvis did perform three songs for us and only us,” Shiran says. “And he had us confess our ‘hunk, a hunk of burning love’ for each other.”
After dancing on the lawn in front of a few tourists, they headed straight to the marriage bureau and got their marriage certificate. Then, they went to visit Shiran’s grandmother, who lives in Las Vegas. “It was actually her birthday that day, and she planned a celebratory lunch—us at one table, with my aunt and her at another. It was pretty special.”
